DAGUPAN CITY – “Our city’s seal which has been officially accredited should be accorded deep respect as a symbol of its sovereignty.”
This was stressed by Mayor Benjie S. Lim when he received last Monday the certificate of registration for this city’s new corporate seal from Secretary Mar Roxas of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) thru Dagupan City DILG Director Rhoderick Dawis.
Lim said “I am glad to share this good news with our fellow Dagupeòos because we’ve been waiting for this, and just like what we have been discussing a year ago, this new seal of ours truly reflects the historical, economic, and cultural values of our city.”
Dawis, for his part, said that “the certificate of registration was given in compliance with Republic Act 7160 soon after the seal was duly approved by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chaired by Serena I. Diokno and the office of the President thru Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.”
In September 2010, Lim said “our seal needs to be redesigned because the city’s 68-year old logo is no longer responsive to the current realities, and it was never registered with NHCP,” adding “while Dagupan is widely known for its fishing industry and is being touted as the “Bangus Capital of the World,” nowhere in the seal is this assertion featured or even emphasized.”
Subsequently, the city government launched a corporate seal design contest by virtue of Executive Order 41 issued by the mayor. This led to the immediate formation of the ad hoc committee headed by then City Secretary Jorge Estrada and Metro Dagupan Culture and Arts Council President Honorata Siapno that will study, initiate, and supervise the redesigning and registration of the city’s official corporate seal.
The winning design was created by Dr. Carmelo John E. Vidal, a resident of barangay Poblacion Oeste and director of the Center for Integrated Extension Services and National Service Training Program Unit of the University of Luzon.
On July 5, 2011, Lim wrote the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) and explained the four phases required in the seal’s revision, which are: designing, review, approval and registration. Three days later, in July 9, the SP adopted Resolution No. 6634-2011 which was introduced by Councilor Alipio Serafin Fernandez in favor of the mayor’s recommendation for a new seal.
Fernandez said “the edict is consistent with Memorandum Circular No. 92-30 of the DILG and the pertinent provision of Republic No. 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991) to the NHCP for review and/or any other appropriate action on the seal.”
On October 25, 2011, Lim made a historic remark together with the 12 councilors as he unveiled the new seal in front of the city museum, saying “Mula sa araw na ito, ito na ang magiging simbolo ng Bangus Capital of the World.”
As stated in the letter submitted by the DILG, the attached document emphasized the word BANGUS, the city’s main fish product placed at the lower portion of the seal, particularly at the midpart of the seven waves representing the seven river tributaries here;
The shape of the shield is uniquely distinctive by itself and does not derive from the shield of the Province of Pangasinan, Dagupan being an independent component city;
The slogan “Sigue Dagupan” was part of the original seal, so are the highway crisscrossing the railroad track, city being the Pandarugupan or meeting place in the province. Also, a train was used to be a major transportation in the city going to Manila. The horseshoe magnet symbolizes the city’s attractions that lure merchants and traders;
The rising sun, gear wheel, and blazing torch stands for hope and the Dagupeòos’ peerless optimism; the gear wheel symbolizes trade and commerce while the torch stands for education (and health care).
The city is actually known as the center of trade, commerce, education and with the most number of hospitals in Ilocos Region.
The stars represent the city’s 31 barangays, while year 1947 signifies the year Dagupan, Pangasinan was established as a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act No. 170.
The approved seal has its Registration No. 010-C.